The Academy president praised the industry for tackling its “worst abuses” during an annual Oscars lunch speech that recognized the #MeToo movement and a “crossroads” in Hollywood.
In the face of backlash in 2016, the Oscars vowed to double the number of women and minorities in the Academy by 2020.
Bailey prefaced his remarks by noting that he is a “75-year-old white man”, later adding: “The Academy is at a crossroads of change …
“The fossilized bedrock of many of Hollywood’s worst abuses are being jackhammered into oblivion,” said John Bailey, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, addressing the nominees for the 90th Oscars ceremony, gathered in Beverly Hills.